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York
New York, or simply York, was once a Freelancer agent in the Special Operation's program Project Freelancer who specialized in infiltration. In his role at Project Freelancer, York was paired with the Artificial intelligence program, designated, Delta, due to his personality being best compatible to deal with Delta's rather "persistent" behavior. He served as a main character in both the Out of Mind mini-series and the Project Freelancer Saga. Overview Many years ago, York visited Club Errera where he met Carolina. With their great skills, they joined Project Freelancer as fellow agents and York would later obtain his A.I. Delta. As time passed, he realized the crimes Project Freelancer were committing and attempted to leave with Carolina, but she "died" during a break-in when Maine stole Eta and Iota then proceeding to throw her off a cliff, depressing York for years before he was found by Tex. In addition to being one of the most combatively skilled characters in the series, York is also one of the most laid back characters, acting very calm and cool, even in dire situations. He was somewhat of a philosopher as he questioned the morals of what's right and what's wrong. His nickname, 'York', comes from the fact that he's Agent New York but is shortened to the latter word. Rooster Teeth made York have a disability, his damaged left eye, to make the character more defined. Role in Plot Early life Prior to being enlisted into Project Freelancer, York is abandoned by his friends one night at Club Errera. Bored, York tinkers with his lighter when suddenly, a woman he would later know as Carolina takes the lighter and flickers it. Following this encounter, the two form a very intimate relationship and eventually join Project Freelancer, becoming the organization's top ranking Freelancer agents for a time, with York second and Carolina first. Throughout their early days, York and Carolina maintain their close relationship and have drinks with other fellow agents, including North Dakota, Wyoming, and Illinois. York, in particular, becomes Illinois's drinking buddy and tells Carolina about their conversations. Eye Injury York later participates in a training exercise, alongside Agents Maine and Wyoming, against a new recruit to Project Freelancer: Agent Texas. During the fight, York repeatedly tries to coordinate his team's attacks, but Maine and Wyoming ignore him and fight Tex on their own by recklessly charging at her, which leads to them being easily taken down. York then attempts to battle Tex himself but is easily beaten by her. , explodes next to York.]] As Tex continues to best York and his team in eight rounds of combat, Maine and Wyoming utilize pistols with live ammunition, rather than lock down paint, in the ninth round and attack Tex with them, prompting York to intervene. However, Tex repeatedly resists his aid and manages to immobilize Wyoming and Maine, but Maine breaks free and throws a frag grenade in a last attempt to beat her. Tex dodges the frag with ease and it lands next to a stunned York instead, completely oblivious to the grenade. Tex, in response, fires rounds of the paralyzing paint at him in an effort to harden York's armor, thereby protecting him from the grenade's explosion. The explosion itself sends York flying across the training room. The Freelancers watching rush to his aid with medics, with Carolina most concerned. York is shown with multiple large cracks in his visor and a hole above his left eye. Due to his injuries, York is sent to the infirmary as a result. Fortunately, York recovers from his injury and joins the other Freelancers on their next mission to obtain the Sarcophagus. Mission for the Sarcophagus During the mission, York picks a holographic lock, setting off an alarm in the process, and provides recon for Team A, consisting of Carolina, Maine, and Washington. He alerts the team of an enemy patrol coming in and helps them lift the package onto the roof. On the roof, Team A find Texas planting a device when they suddenly become surrounded by Insurrectionists. York is told to shut down the device but he reveals it to be a transmitter. He gives the transmitter to the Demo Man just as a MAC round fired from the Mother of Invention hits the building, causing it to collapse. After the Freelancers secure the package, York and Carolina are rescued via a Warthog driven by Agent Maine. The three then contact Team B, consisting of North Dakota, C.T., and Wyoming, who tell them to go after Rhee Sebiel's briefcase. After Maine kills Sebiel and takes the briefcase, Team A is pursued by Insurrectionists attempting to stop them. As York drives through traffic, Carolina and Maine battle two Insurrectionists on the back of a truck, with York providing assistance. Maine, unfortunately, is knocked off the street, allowing the Sleeveless Insurrectionist to obtain the briefcase. Pursuing the Insurrectionists, Tex arrives in close pursuit of the Sleeveless soldier. Carolina tells York that they have to get the briefcase before Tex, but York questions why. As the Insurrectionists and Tex begin to get away, York bails out of the Warthog and allows Carolina to catch them herself. Carolina ultimately fails, however, with Tex obtaining the briefcase, and is picked up by a Pelican. York extends his hand to help her up and she grabs it. Back aboard the Mother of Invention, North tells York the scores have changed. York says everything has been changing since Tex showed up and brings up the police shooting at them as an example. He asks North if they're the good guys and North says they are but York points out the uncertainty in his voice. A.I. Interaction Sometime later, York infiltrates an Insurrectionist ship with his A.I. partner Delta but fails to access a holographic lock and sounds an alarm. As a result, F.I.L.S.S. fires at the ship, creating a hole that sends York into the vacuum of space. Fortunately, York regroups with the other Freelancers and they depart for Bone Valley in search for the Insurrectionist Leader. Suddenly, Four Seven Niner discovers that the Insurrection has led the Mother of Invention into a trap with their flagship, the Staff of Charon, disguised in the recycling station. As the enemy ship attacks, the Insurrectionist Leader discreetly leaves behind a nuclear device before the Staff of Charon jumps into slipspace. After Four Seven Niner detects the bomb, she warns the Freelancers to return to the Pelican before it detonates, which they manage to do. With the mission a failure, the Freelancers and Director quickly realize that C.T. is gone, having defected to the Insurrection. Back aboard the Mother of Invention, York is introduced to North's A.I., Theta, and allows him to meet Delta. The Director approaches them and, upon seeing Delta conversing with Theta, reminds Delta that interacting with other A.I. is against protocol, but York quickly claims responsibility. , and Washington discuss the Alpha.]] Along with South and Wash, York bears witness to North and Theta's test and is left excited after their success. Following a class session on A.I. theory, York meets up with North in the mess hall and questions him about the Alpha A.I. as both Delta and Theta are obsessed with him. York states that while the other A.I. units refer to each other as "brother", they all refer to the Alpha as their "creator". Wash joins them and states that he believed that the Director was their creator, but York corrects him, stating that they are copied from someone's mind. North adds the fact that their A.I. are only fragments, which causes York to raise the question of where the original is. Later on, York and the rest of the Freelancers prepare for their mission to find C.T. at the enemy FOB and reobtain her armor. When the team arrives at the Longshore Shipyards, York joins Wash in battling the Sleeveless Insurrection Soldier and quickly bests him in combat. When Maine arrives at the battle in a drop pod, York and Wash take a cover from behind a dumpster, where Maine's A.I. Sigma greets them. Delta reminds Sigma that interactions between A.I. units is against protocol but Sigma reminds Delta that the Director has always said there are no rules in battle, before excusing himself to help Maine. Concern for Carolina York and Wash later regroup with Wyoming and Florida inside the base, where the former locates the leader and C.T.. While under heavy fire by Chain Guy and Chain Girl, Carolina meets up with them until Tex shows up, while cloaked, and chases after C.T. and the Leader. Enraged, Carolina hastily follows Tex, concerning York. Carolina then orders him to shut down the power at the main complex, but York is unable to, still under heavy fire. Fortunately, Agent Florida eliminates the twin guards, allowing York to shut down the power, with help from Delta. Unfortunately, the Leader escapes with C.T.'s armor, leaving the mission a failure. Back aboard the Mother of Invention, York watches Carolina train during late hours. North joins him and points out that Carolina is always training, in which York explains that the leaderboard is beckoning her to do so. After a brief discussion over their A.I., an exhausted North leaves to get some rest and tells York to do so himself. York, still watching Carolina, then tells himself that they could all use some rest. Afterward, York is seen with North, Wash, and South in the locker room after hearing about Carolina's decision to take two A.I. Tex shows up and questions where Carolina is, in which York tells her that Carolina is undergoing surgery to receive her two A.I. He then asks if Tex would like to go with him and Wash to the recovery room to wait for her, but Tex decides to stay behind. In the recovery observatory, York and Wash visit Carolina, while noticing Maine there as well. When Carolina wakes up, she quickly demands a match against Tex. In the training arena, York preps Carolina on the floor and advises her to listen to her A.I.s' intel, though she ignores him. As the match begins, York rejoins the other Freelancers in the observation room to watch the match. The Director soon enters and, upon noticing Tex participating in the match, yells out her name in concern, which sends all the A.I. into a relapse calling out Allison's name. As a result, the Freelancers double over in pain in response to their A.I.'s screams. This quickly subsides and the Freelancers recover, except for Carolina, who's A.I. become unstable. Days after the incident, York falls asleep beside a comatose Carolina, having stayed by her side since then. North and Texas watch him from a nearby room. Freelancer Break-In Following Carolina's recovery, Tex recruits York in her plan to break the Alpha A.I. out of containment, after going rogue. York helps Tex enter a restricted area of the Mother of Invention but inadvertently sets off an alarm in the process. Despite this, Tex continues forward. In the meantime, York sneaks into a locker room and quickly engages Wyoming in combat, whom he swiftly defeats. York then has Delta activate the heavy weapons systems aboard the Mother of Invention and causes them to fire upon the vessel itself. York then heads to the gravity plant section of the ship and disables the ship's artificial gravity. When Carolina rushes down an elevator in order to locate Tex, she finds York instead, where the latter explains that he is doing this for the right reasons, having learned the truth about the Director and his activities. York then tries to convince Carolina to leave with him, but she refuses, with the belief that Tex only wants to steal his A.I. York pleads for Carolina to let go of her jealousy of Tex, but she refuses to listen and engages him in close combat. Carolina quickly incapacitates York by kicking him into the air and proceeds to toss up his lighter before heading off to find Tex. As York reaches the top of the shaft, he spots his old lighter that Carolina had tossed up earlier and reaches for it. Death Years after the events at Project Freelancer, York abandoned the program and became a petty thief, still in possession of Delta and his armor. Tex finds him breaking into a building and the two soon greet each other after the passing time. By this point, they seem to be on friendly terms with one another, as York refers to Tex by her real name (Allison). She asks for his assistance in locating Wyoming and her old A.I. Omega, and York agrees, wanting payback. York assists Tex in breaking into Wyoming's hideout, in which they both receive heavy fire upon entry. They are successful in eliminating the armed guards, but are unable to eliminate Wyoming himself. When Tex's gun jams, York willingly covers for her, but is shot by Wyoming. Mortally wounded, York tells Tex to not let Wyoming get Delta, and soon passes away. After his armor shuts down, it sends out a "Priority One" Recovery Beacon, allowing Delta to be retrieved by Agent Washington, who then detonates York's armor and corpse. As revealed by Washington in Reconstruction: Chapter 1, York's armor enhancement was not destroyed but taken by Washington. Legacy After his death, Carolina visits the site of York's demise, finding his lighter and apologizes for not listening to him. For comfort, Epsilon shows Carolina a series of York's journal entries, which apparently were made sometime after he left Project Freelancer. The first few journal entries touch upon a female Freelancer causing trouble for the project, in which York believes the Freelancer being Carolina, who was believed to be dead at the time. York expresses his feelings for Carolina and also mentions their first meeting at a nightclub. The last journal entry played shows York speaking in a disappointed tone, as he reveals the female Freelancer to be Tex and her A.I., Omega. Saddened, York jokingly tells Delta that if he tried to use a pickup line on Carolina she might have punched out his good eye. Delta, trying to comfort him, inquires what he would have said, and York mournfully tells him that he would have told her that he understood why she did what she did, but wished she hadn't. He adds that he wished she could've let things go and ends stating that maybe he should as well. Several months later, Carolina and Wash visit former agent Illinois's hut, where Carolina reveals that York and Illinois were drinking buddies while working under Project Freelancer. The two then stare at a photograph of York seen alongside Carolina, Wyoming, North, and Illinois, all having drinks and Carolina embraced in York's arm. Carolina then reflects on her last moments with York, wishing she had pursued a fresh start with him sooner rather than later. Personality York is one of the most laid-back characters in the series, regularly keeping a friendly and cool attitude. York is also a very social person, being able to hold conversations with others, tell jokes in dramatic situations and cares greatly about his teammates. Furthermore, York also seems to be very curious towards things, as he is commonly asking very deep questions regarding various topics, similar to a philosopher. York is also regularly shown doing noble things, such as when he helped Tex in Introductions after Wyoming and Maine used live ammunition against her, assisted Tex during the Freelancer break-in, and helped Tex on her mission to find Wyoming and Omega during Out of Mind. He showed his true emotions around Delta after developing a strong relationship with the A.I., showing that he was depressed after Carolina's supposed death. Relationships York has many relationships within Project Freelancer, although he doesn't develop any with others in different factions. Carolina Carolina and York had developed a close relationship prior to Project Freelancer and greatly cared for each other. In Lifting the Veil, Carolina took great concern for York's injury, yelling at the medics to come to his aid as well. In Planning the Heist, she becomes relieved when York returns from the hospital, yet takes concern for his eye injury. On top of that, she seems to have a more kind and flattering tone around York than with the other Freelancers. York was also shown to trust her greatly and was able to make her joke around from time to time. After falling into a coma due to her A.I. incident, York refused to leave Carolina's side. In Out of Mind, Carolina goes to York's resting place and apologizes for not listening to him years earlier. It is revealed in the episode that York and Carolina knew each other prior to Project Freelancer, having first met up at Club Errera. Carolina also listed York as one of her primary reasons for taking down the Director. Delta When York and Delta were paired as partners, York paid little attention to him and Delta showed some annoyance of his user. As time passed, however, the two began to grow more attached to each other. York often called him "D" and Delta grew to like him, as shown when Delta comforted him about Carolina. As time passed, York began to affect Delta, teaching him about humor, compassion, and humanity. Delta would also seemingly develop sentience and live up to York's words, as he was willing to "die" with his partner to comfort him. Tex Despite their first encounter, Tex saved York's life from a grenade Maine threw, which took his left eye. Since then, the two developed a strong bond and trust with each other. York, along with North, eventually joined Tex in the break-in to save the Alpha. Many years later, Tex and York reunited, where Tex asked him for his aid to locate and capture Wyoming, which he accepted for revenge. Washington York seems to treat Washington as a little brother, as the two often spent the most time with each other during Project Freelancer. Furthermore, York teases him, makes jokes with him, and shows great concern for him. However, York did insult Washington, telling him he's the least skilled in combat out of the agents and stated that "Every time he opens his mouth, he only makes things worse." Wash later found his body and Delta and stated he did well in battle for an 'old locksmith'. North York and North were shown to be good friends during Project Freelancer as the two often spent quality time together, discussing their issues or the A.I., and allowed their own A.I. to interact with each other. As time passed, both acknowledged the crimes the Director had committed and joined Tex on her mission to save Alpha during the break-in. Wyoming It seemed that the two disliked each other's traits. Wyoming clearly didn't pay attention to York when they were facing Tex in Introductions and York gets annoyed by Wyoming's jokes. During the Freelancer break-in, York defeated him in battle after insulting his knock knock jokes. Years later, York still seemed to want revenge against him, most likely because he was involved in damaging his left eye, and joined Tex to find Omega due to this. When the two finally encountered, Wyoming killed York when he was covering Tex. Sigma Although they haven't interacted much, York finds Sigma to be disturbing and creepy. He shows concern for Maine when he has several headaches, soon assuming Sigma is responsible and has his own intentions. Illinois Although it was not seen, Carolina mentioned in Battlescars that he and Illinois were drinking buddies. Themes Ideology Throughout the series, York questions several actions committed and has complex ideas about life. In Out of Mind, he tells Delta about what he thinks makes people human and in seasons 9 and 10, York seems to have a preoccupation with whether or not the Freelancers are "the good guys." However, after abandoning the program, he became a thief to survive, abandoning most of his ideology. Damaged Eye York's blind spot proves to be a significant weakness and is often mentioned in the series. However, he doesn't let this setback affect his attitude, as he showed no change in personality after the incident. Unfortunately, this injury would result in his death at the hands of Wyoming when York moved in panic to cover Tex, which in turn exposed his blind spot. Holographic Locks Throughout the series, York has been seen to have difficulty opening holographic locks, which according to him, are more complicated than other locks. During his first encounter with holographic locks in Son of a Bitch, York becomes amazed upon seeing one, stating, "Wow, is that holographic? That's high end." However, while working on it, York accidentally sets off an alarm. In Revenants, he is forced to open another holographic lock; while cracking it, he mentions, "These guys love their holographic locks." In Out of Mind: Part IV, when Tex needs York to break a lock, he becomes worried when he realizes that the lock is holographic rather than encrypted. Skills and Abilities Combat In Introductions, York, along with agents Maine and Wyoming, displays considerable combat prowess in his fight against Agent Texas. While unable to defeat her, he is the only one of the three capable of blocking several of Tex's attacks, even managing to disarm her during one of the lockout paint rounds, though she was quick to nullify the achievement by swiftly defeating him with his own gun. York is ranked as the second best Freelancer, before Tex's arrival, which is another indication of his combat expertise. Within the Freelancers, York is the highest ranked male member, despite his disabled eye. By Season 10, York further displayed his proficiency in close combat. During a battle with high ranked Insurrectionist soldiers, he was capable of fighting both the Sleeveless Insurrectionist and the Female Insurrectionist, besting them single-handedly. He also managed to defeat Wyoming in hand-to-hand combat, during the Freelancer break-in, using his resourcefulness to his advantage. Afterwards, however, York failed to defeat Carolina, who quickly overpowered him. However, the quickness of his loss most likely stems from the fact that he was reluctant to face her. Driving York has also displayed a great skill in driving, aiding the escape from Insurrectionist forces during Spiral. He avoided several civilian vehicles at top speed, hit the brakes to throw the enemy off the hood of the Warthog (saving Maine from an inevitable headshot), slammed the Warthog into a truck to throw off the aim and balance of the Insurrectionist Sniper, and drove Maine close enough to strike him, all of this with a damaged eye. Resourcefulness York's unique armor enhancement is a healing mechanism, which was taken by Washington upon his death. It is also stated in the mini series Out of Mind that York is an infiltration specialist, as he is seen trying to break into a store, and later assists Tex in infiltrating O'Malley's base. Washington would later complement the Freelancer's skills after his death upon hearing Delta's overview on his armor. Kills York has killed several characters in the series, including many Insurrectionists and at least two Freelancer soldiers during the break-in. Also, when joining Tex to confront Wyoming, he killed a Grunt. Insurrection open fire.png|Several Insurrectionists Wyoming with two guards.png|At least two Freelancer soldiers The Grunts.png|At least one Grunt Gallery File:RVB_S9_2_006.png|York in the Season 9 trailer York injured.png|York injured. York & North talk.png|York talking to North Dakota Team A.png|York, with the rest of Team A. York on roof.png|York on the radio York shot a bunch of times.png|York stuck York You need someone to get you in.png|York learning the plan Epsilon-York.png|York's final message Carolina and york in training 2.png Epsilon-York talks with Carolina.png Yorkandnorth 1.png York and North watch Carolina.png York and new Freelancer Board.jpg Sigma appears before Wash and York.png Hologram York S10.png York with Plasma Rifle in face.png Texandyorkinlockerroom.png York Episode 10.PNG Yorkdrink.png|York without his armor. York and Delta - Out of Mind 4.png York speaks with Carolina.png York with Plasma Rifle in face.png York sees lighter.png Wash and York vs. Sleeves.png Wash and York.png York, Wash, and North.png Trivia *The fact that York, who'd been stealing for (presumably) years to make ends meet, has not gone by his Freelancer codename (much to the converse of Tex, who still participates in military operations), explains why York and Allison are names neither are used to hearing, respectively. *York's codename Foxtrot 12 is similar to the designation Sierra 117, an alternate designation for the Master Chief within the Halo games, as both are made up of a NATO phonetic letter followed by a numerical sequence. The use of the letter Foxtrot is due to York being a Freelancer and Sierra is due to the Master Chief being a Spartan. *York's healing unit is very effective as it allowed Washington to survive a direct shot to the back from Agent South Dakota. *In Out of Mind: Part IV, York sheds some light on how he lost his left eye by saying "Omega and Allison were always the best. Nobody could compete with them, not me, not Wyoming, not anybody. Trying to beat them when I should have given up is how I got hurt in the first place." *York is the first character in Red vs. Blue to reveal his face on screen. York is also the first soldier shown completely out of armor, wearing a Property of Grifball T-shirt and jeans in Out of Body. *According to Burnie Burns at Pax East, York was the link in the Season 9 Trailer to show that the season was not taking place in present time. *The extents and limitations of York's healing unit are unknown, leading many to question why he didn't use it to heal his eye or to save himself from Wyoming's fatal gunshot. In light of his injury, it likely healed into permanent scar tissue before this became viable. Given that York was incapacitated in both cases, it is possible he has to activate it manually, something not possible in either the case of losing his eye and Wyoming killing him. *York is known for making philosophical statements and theories about events during episodes. This is most notable during Seasons 9 and 10. *York, like North, Wash, and Carolina, is among the only four Freelancers whose name has been seen on the Freelancer leaderboard in every scene in which it is featured. *Despite being the designated lockpick, York almost always has bad luck when it comes to opening them. While opening the lock during the heist, he sets off an alarm. When trying to open a lock at the scrapyard, he runs out of time and is consequently sucked into space. When he tries to open the lock for Tex before the break-in, he sets off an alarm again, prompting Tex to punch it to get it to open. The only lock he was successfully shown to open in the series was the holographic one at O'Malley's base. *It should be noted that York's depression over Carolina's supposed death is very similar to the Director over Allison's, as both were hoping to see their lovers return from the dead; York began breaking the law after Carolina's "death", much like how the Director did by establishing Project Freelancer; and both couldn't let go of their past. However, York was able to move on, unlike the Director. *York sings the song "Come on Carolina" in the Red vs. Blue: Season 10 Soundtrack, written by Jeff Williams about his relationship with Carolina. References Category:Characters Category:Freelancer Category:Deceased Category:Protagonists